


Great Power

by Lichking101



Series: The Amazing Fantasy [1]
Category: Spider-Man (Comicverse), Spider-Man (Ultimateverse), Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Spectacular Spider-Man (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, Crime Fighting, F/M, High School, Humor, Minor Character Death, Multi, Superheroes, Superpowers, Teen Romance, Teenage Drama
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2021-01-24
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:49:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 16,616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28442694
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lichking101/pseuds/Lichking101
Summary: Peter Parker, an ordinary kid with extraordinary powers, must learn what it means to have power and responsibility in order to put a stop to the murderous rampage of the deadly Vulture.
Relationships: Gwen Stacy/Flash Thompson, Harry Osborn/Gwen Stacy, Peter Parker/Gwen Stacy
Series: The Amazing Fantasy [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2083452
Comments: 4
Kudos: 8





	1. A Dead Samaritan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some may notice changes to the story, that's because I fixed some stuff. I thought I caught all of the grammatical errors and sentences that didn't make any sense, but we can't catch them all at once, huh? Thank you all for showing all this amazing support!

Rain pours down from grey clouds as the coffin is lowered. The plot of land is small, for the widow could not afford a bigger area. Though the grave stood on top of a hill, with a small gravestone next to two others, a mother and a father. All around the gloomy sight, are graves that dot the landscape, with the horizon to the East blocked by towering skyscrapers. The widow in black pours out her heart, as her nephew looks down with a sharp pang of guilt embedded in his heart. The priest looks down at his holy bible and spoke a passage from the holy word,

“‘...He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him.’ May Ben Parker, the samaritan, rest in peace.” The widow in black wept as she wiped her tears, and the next to her was a young teenager. He looked down through his large, round glasses, as he tries to comfort his aunt. As the grave is finally settled, shovels of dirt fill the hole, the aunt and nephew walk back to their car, and drive home.

The red car was small and cramped, though was old enough to let one know it was built to last. Peter looked out of the passenger window, as he felt… empty. The car, for how small it was, felt empty to Peter, as if there was something missing, and of course, there was someone missing. He tried to speak up, to cheer up Aunt May, but a large stone in his throat blocked his words. The car pulled into the garage, and the two entered the house.

"Hey May," Peter said, his voice cracked and hoarse from the grief, "I could make us some ramen noodles if you'd like." May looked at the boy, and gave a weak smile,

"No thanks, Peter, I better lie down. If you want to, I could call the school tomorrow-"

"I... That would be nice May. Thank you." They then walked towards their rooms, and Peter could hear the muffled crying through the walls, and felt a rage against the world, against everything. But mostly, rage against himself.

Peter walked into his room, taking off his black jacket and loosening his tie. He sat on his bed and looked around his room. Shelves filled with books of physics and chemistry, a closet between the bed and door, a small tv, a desk covered with papers of equations, tools, and a microscope. The walls were covered with posters of star trek and Albert Einstein, with a window that peered out into the pouring rain. Peter laid down on his bed and tried to think about anything, but only nothingness filled his mind as he drifted to sleep.

Cheering crowds. An envelope of money. "Not my problem." Sirens. Anger. Confrontation. Revelation. Guilt. After what felt like an eternity, Peter woke up in a cold sweat and felt the pang in his gut. He got up and walked toward the door. However, he bumped into a trunk, one that came out of the closet. He knelt down, and opened it, and immediately felt resent. Red and black fabric poked out of the trunk, with black webs and silver wrist devices. Peter shut the trunk and shoved it back into his closet. He looked over at one of the wallpapers and stepped up to it. It showed a large, muscular man facing off against a small wrestler wearing the same red and black suit. He tore off the wall, crumpled it, and threw it in the garbage. He then went to his notes, and shoved the pages with equations into a drawer, saying to himself,

“Never again.”

* * *

The clean and crisp labs of Oscorp were filled with amazing machines, though used for its military contracts. Holographic images used to distract the enemy, grenades with ten times the firepower of standard grenades, and robots designed to target enemies and eliminate them. Hovering throughout the lab, zooming with great momentum, was a remote control harness. Its pilots looked at their invention, easily in their fifties, and smiled with glee,

“We did it, Adrian, we did it!” Cheered the younger man, who still had dark hair hidden on his head, “Just wait till Norman gets a load of this!”

“Don’t kid yourself, Gregory,” Said Adrian, “We still have some bugs to iron out of the software, and we need a material light enough to-”

“Forget about that! We just made a portable, cheap, energy clean way for anyone to fly!” Adrian chuckled and patted Gregory’s shoulder. Then, they were approached by a younger man, in his mid-twenties, with a bowl cut and large glasses,

“Gentlemen, Mr. Osborn will be expecting you to visit his office…”

“Otto! We did it, we were able to complete the invention!” Gregory said, “Why don’t we go out and celebrate?” Gregory then looked at Adrian and softly smirk with nervous energy. Otto just looked up and spoke in his monotone voice,

“Sorry, I have work to do.” And walked toward the elevator. Adrian waited till the elevator rose, and turned to Gregory,

“Man, Octavius gives me the heebie-jeebies, like a robot wearing a skin suit!” Gregory said as the gentlemen grabbed their notes,

“What do you think Norman wants from us? Maybe he’s heard of our progress!” Adrian then pressed the button for the top floor,

“Y-yeah, that’s probably it!” Gregory replied. Adrian raised his eyebrow but shrugged off the nervous stutter. Minutes went by, as Adrian looked down at his watch, tapping his foot,

“I hate how tall these buildings are getting now, I swear that Oscorp itself pierces the clouds!”

“Well, our project will make that a thing of the past!”

“Or a weapon used in the Middle East,” Adrian replied,

“Adrian!” Gregory said, the two men chuckling from the shocking statement,

“Oh come on Gregory! Our parents fought against Vietnam, only this time our country is fighting for oil and democracy!”

“Adrian, don’t be so cynical!” The elevator finally stopped, and the doors opened, “Maybe things will turn out okay…” Adrian looked at his friend with a creeping suspicion looming down on him,

“What do you mean by that Gregory?” Adrian asked, though no reply came from his friend as they approached the secretary,

“Hello, what can I do for you today?”

“Yes, we’re here to see Mr. Osborn. I’m Mr. Toomes and he’s Mr. Bestman!” Adrian said,

“Oh, one sec,” The secretary pressed on her intercom, “Mr. Osborn, the geezers are here to see you.”

“ _Send them in_.” Came the powerful voice, as if the building itself spoke. The two engineers went to the office, but Adrian leaned towards Gregory and whispered,

“She called us geezers! Geezers! Where’s the respect in today’s generation?”

“I know, just let it slide by, okay?” The office was large, with glass cases of masks from all around the world. On the other side from the two older men was a large window that stared out into all of Manhattan. There lied a large desk, made of black mahogany, with neat stacks of papers signed by the same man. The man sitting at the desk wore a suit with golden buttons. The man leaned back and waved his hand towards the two chairs in front of him,

“Please gentlemen, have a seat.” The two engineers sat down and looked nervously at Norman Osborn. Adrian was about to speak up when Norman picked up a mask, “You know gentlemen, I enjoy the idea of masks. In fact, the word, ‘Person’ came from the word, 'Persona,' and was an Etruscan term that meant mask. It brings up the thought of whether or not a person is unique or modeled after the people around them,” The red oni mask looked back at Norman, as he set it down, “It makes a person wonder who they really are. For example, an engineer would wonder who they are behind all the math and equations, and would want to do something that meant something to the world around them.”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Osborn, why did you call us up here?” Adrian asked,

“Well, I’m sure Mr. Bestman can tell us,” Then, the doors busted open, and two police officers stood in their place, “Officers, I’m sure you are aware of our embezzlement scandal, and I’m glad to let you know I have the person who was behind it right in front of us. Isn’t that right, Mr. Toomes?” Adrian snapped up, eyes widened, and furrowed his eyes,

“No! Norman, I’m innocent!" Adrian screamed as the cops cuffed him. He then looked at his best friend, "Tell them, Gregory! Tell them I'm innocent!!!” Adrian wanted his friend's help but Bestman didn’t look back. As the officers dragged Adrian away, he felt a stab in his heart as he could only say, “Gregory?” Then, the doors closed upon Adrian.


	2. Midtown's Professional Wallflower

The class dragged on, with the teacher teaching math that no one in that class would ever use in their daily lives. As the class was crawling to an end, an announcement rang throughout the school,

“Would Peter Parker come down to student services?” Students would snicker and a few, “Ooooh’s,” came out. Peter sighed, grabbed his things, and walked towards the guidance counselor's office.

The bell rang as Peter sat in his chair, sitting across from the guidance counselor, Mr. Warren,

“Hello, Peter! How are you today?” Mr. Warren had a bright smile on his face, as his office was filled with bright posters with, “Inspirational,” quotes,

“I’m fine,” Peter said, in a monotone voice. All he wanted to do was go home, and hide in his room, instead of being in the hot mess that high school was,

“I see,” Mr. Warren wrote down a few notes, and looked back up, “and there’s nothing you would like to discuss with me?”

“Nope, I’m good.” 

“Great! Here’s a hall pass for your study hall, I’ll see you tomorrow!” Peter picked up his stack of notebooks and papers and rushed towards the study hall. He entered the cafeteria and handed his hall pass to the teacher. He then sat down and studied his textbooks. An hour went by when someone walked up toward Peter, wearing a fashion designer jacket and jeans,

“Hey man, where were you last week?” Asked the green-eyed boy. Peter rolled his eyes and continued to study and ignore the rich kid. Then, his textbook was knocked to the side, “Hey, I’m talking to you!”

“Oh yeah, and the oh so important Harry Osborn needs his tutor?” Peter dryly replied,

“What’s with the attitude? I paid you to tutor me in algebra, and you bailed on me?” Peter looked through his glasses and furrowed his eyebrows,

“Harry, you picked me in a bad mood right now. I could care less about your grades since you never bother to study on your own nor have you ever paid attention in class. So please, leave me alone!” Peter then grabbed his textbook and continued to study. Harry looked stunned, and rolled his eyes,

“Whatever, there’s a million geeks like you around here who want my money.” Harry then walked away, annoyed. Peter could care less about some snob who didn’t even need to be at a public school when he could be at some private school in Europe.

Lunch started, and Peter stayed where he was. He opened his lunch bag, and read a note from May that always got a smile out of him,

“ _Remember, every day your getting better and better!_ ” Peter then munched on his turkey sandwich and was able to breathe again. Suddenly, he felt a tingle at the back of his neck, and was raised in the air,

“Slam! Dunk! Slam! Dunk!” Roared a crowd from another table from where Peter sat, and a tall quarterback plunged Peter into the trash can,

“Oh, I’m sorry Parker! I just thought I would take you where you’d belong!” Said Flash Thompson, who smiled down at Peter,

“What is it this time, Flash?” Peter said as he climbed out of the trash can. Flash shoved him in the shoulder while raising his other hand, wrapped in a bandage,

“You broke my hand last month, ya freak!” He then grabbed Peter by his shirt collar, “And then you took my spot on the basketball team! Who does that man?”

“If you’re so angry, maybe I can make your other hand match. Of course, that’s only if your parents don’t sue me!” The tingling return and Flash swung his good hand into Peter’s face, breaking his glasses,

“I’m about to-”

“Eugene Thompson!” Said a voice, which made Flash jump. Behind him, a blond-haired girl stood wearing a blue sweater jacket, “What the hell are you doing?”

“Gwen! Sweety! I was just, uh…” Flash tried to think about what to say when Gwen grabbed him by the ear and pulled him to her level,

“Just about to do what? Make him look like he went through the meat grinder?”

“No! I was about to help him up! You know how Kong is, right?” Gwen then shook her head, and helped Peter up, “What are you doing?”

“I’m being a good person, Flash! Maybe you should learn about that!” Gwen and Peter walked away towards the nurse’s office,

“Thanks,” Peter said,

“No problem, just hoping that Flash would get it through his skull that he’s more than a meathead.” Peter then chuckled,

“I wouldn’t know who he would be besides that!” Peter then stopped, “I don’t think we met, I’m Peter.”

“Hi,” Gwen shook his hand, “Gwen Stacy.”

“Well, it was nice to meet you Gwen, but I gotta study real quick!” Gwen then looked at his textbook,

“Is that a textbook for genetics? Are you looking at that internship over the summer?” Peter looked stunned, and smiled,

“Yeah! I’m trying to intern for Dr. Connors!”

“Really? I could put in a good word for you!” Gwen then pulled out an I.D card,

“You work for Dr. Connors? Oh my gosh, well what is he working on?” Gwen put a finger to her lips,

“Sorry, top secret. FBI stuff, you know the drill.”

“Yeah, I got the whole CIA on my back!”

“Don’t we all?” The bell rang, and Gwen looked at Peter, “Don’t you need to go to the nurse’s office?”

“Nah, I’m good! Work through the pain, right?” Peter then ran off towards his next class, finding it weird that butterflies were flying around in his stomach.

The rest of the day went by fast, as Peter wrote down notes from three-inch-thick textbooks. High school was a breeze for Peter, most of the classes taught stuff Peter already knew, so really school was one big study hall for him. Peter went to his locker and gathered his things when a note was in the slits of the locker, which Peter picked it up. Before he could open it, it was taken by someone behind him,

“What the hell is this?” Flash said, ripping the note apart,

“Knock it off Flash-” Peter was then slammed into the locker, as Flash looked pissed off at him,

“It’s one thing to take my spot on the team, one thing to break my hand, but you then try to hit on my girl?” Peter shoved Flash off him with ease,

“You know what Flash, I had it up to here with you!” As Peter approached, three more football players ganged up on Peter,

“Is that right, _Puny Parker_?” Peter felt the world slow down as he felt his head buzzing with life. He dodges a punch from the jock to his left, a kick from the right, and flipped over the main group of the jocks, and sprinted away, “Get him!”

Peter ran out of school, and down the sidewalk, with the jocks close behind him,

“There! He just turns into that alley!” The biggest jock named Kong said

“I’m gonna kill that freak!” Flash said as they turned toward the alley. They looked around, and only saw trashcans in the alley, “You said he turn down here, where did he go Kong?”

“I don’t know! I swore he ran down here!”

“Shut up, let’s go around the block, and knock some sense into Parker, alright!?” The bullies left the alley and split up to search the sidewalk. Above, Peter looked down from the rooftop,

“What a bunch of jerks! I guess I’ll walk home then.” Peter then hopped from rooftop to rooftop, trying to get home as fast as he could.

* * *

Sitting on a chair, overlooking the balcony of his new penthouse, Gregory Bestman drank his coffee uneasily. The cool air of the night of spring didn’t bring any comfort to Gregory’s mind. He still remembered the betrayed face on Adrian being dragged off by the police and remembered his deal with Norman. Gregory felt as though sharp daggers were crawling under his skin, and tried to distract himself with some more coffee.

Gregory finished his cup of coffee and stood up to get some more. Then, he was swooped off the ground, and he panicked as he looks down at the street below him. Higher and higher he went, as he prayed to God that he would be granted some mercy. Then, Gregory was tossed in the air, and was caught in a pair of strong, angry hands,

“Adrian?” Gregory said, looking at his friend, who wore a green jacket with white feathers around his neck, “I thought you were under house arrest!”

“I was, Bestman!” Adrian spat out, “But I would not be fed to the wolves as you intended for me! I gathered whatever I could find in my workshop, and reengineered our flight harness.” Adrian motioned to the large, metal wings that helped steer his flight harness,

“Adrian… T-this is amazing! You fixed the software and the material-” Gregory then felt the sharp pull of gravity as Adrian dropped him for about three feet before catching him again,

“I”m in no mood for this, Gregory! You knew I was innocent, that I was not behind the embezzlement scandal at Oscorp! But you did nothing! Nothing!”

“I’m sorry, alright? I can tell you who is behind it though!” Adrian pulled Gregory closer to his face, and he screamed,

“Who!?” Adrian shook Gregory in the air, with Gregory knowing that he was easily a thousand feet in the air,

“Norman! Norman is behind the embezzlement! I don’t know what he’s doing with the money, but he gave me a cut to-”

“To sell me out!?” Tears fell down Adrian’s face, “You were my only friend, the only person that I could trust!”

“I know that now, and I’m sorry!” Gregory said, bearing his heart out to Adrian, “I needed the money, but I know now that I betrayed you, and I’m sorry.” Adrian looked down with closed eyes, the humming of the flight harness’ power pack filled the silence. Gregory then spoke, “Are we good?”

“... Yeah Gregory,” Adrian then loosened his grip, and Gregory fell towards the street as Adrian just watched. Adrian then flew away to his hideout, only saying, “We’re good now.”


	3. Climbing Over the Wall

Cigar smoke drifted through the office as it was filled with people who tried to give out their stories. Phil Sheldon, the one-eyed photographer, brought pictures of the marriage of Reed Richards and Sue Storm. Ben Urich about some devil man in Hell’s Kitchen. Ned Leeds was finally able to break through the rambling with a story about a recent suicide,

“Leeds! Speak up, what do you got?” Said the man with the cigar in his mouth,

“Suicide, J.J, name is Gregory Bestman. The police say he jumped off his newly acquired penthouse,” Ned said, looking down at his notes, “However, there are no suicide letters, and anyone near him says that he was mentally well.”

“Hmm…” Jameson stood up and looked out of his window of his building. The Daily Bugle was his pride and joy, the beacon of his integrity, “Was there any forced entry?”

“No, though there were sightings of a… ‘ _Birdman_ ’ nearby.”

“Sounds like the sightings of the robberies yesterday, Jonah,” Said a man next to Jameson,

“Robbie, I like your style, but that’s like saying Nessie shot JFK!!!” Jonah looked back at his writers and journalists, and sighed, “So, let’s say there was a birdman, and he picked Bestman up and murdered him. However, there’s no evidence of some kind of _Vulture_ showing up and-” Suddenly, someone burst into the office,

“Mr. Jameson!” Said a shy man wearing thick glasses,

“Foswell? What the hell do you want now, a raise!?” Foswell then showed Jameson a video, showing a man wearing wings dropping a person from high up, “Where did this come from?”

“Some kids managed to record the encounter, it was just uploaded.” Jameson looked up, and pointed at his secretary,

“... Ms. Brant, give Foswell a raise,” Jameson then pointed at Ned, and Ben, “I want you two to ask anyone who might’ve seen this, bombard them with questions, alright!? I want their names and what their favorite color is, got it!?” The journalists scrambled out of the office, leaving Jameson alone with Robbie, “Do we got any photos of this guy?” Robbie then looked down, and shook his head,

“Nope.”

“What do you mean no?”

“There’s nothing Jonah,”

“Nothing? Not even a blurry picture that would make bigfoot look like a photobomber!?!”

“Sorry Jonah, there’s only squat.” Jameson paced around, rubbing his scowl of a face. Then, his face brightened as though a light bulb turned on,

“How about this for a headline?”

* * *

Peter was about to go through his usual schedule of sitting at his desk and studying biochemistry, eating alone at lunch, and avoiding Flash like the plague, when someone tapped him on the shoulder at study hall. He turned around, expecting either the pompous Harry Osborn to complain about his grades, or the brute Flash Thompson ready to dunk his head in a toilet. Instead, he was greeted with Gwen,

“Gwen! How are you?” Peter asked as Gwen sat down. It’s been a couple of days since Peter met Gwen, and so far she hasn’t shown any nefarious plans for Flash to knock him headfirst into a locker, so that’s good!

“I’m good, but you didn’t get my note?” Peter thought for a while, and felt a mental slap against his brain,

“Sorry, Flash got to it first. You wrote that note?”

“Yeah, I was wondering if you would like to join us for dinner today. It’s Chinese Thursday!” Peter snickered, but then his eyebrows closely knitted together,

“Gwen… Where is this coming from?” Gwen raised an eyebrow, and Peter immediately raised his hands, “I don’t mean that negatively at all, but I’m the type of guy that believes kindness comes from nowhere, so I find myself asking: Why?” Gwen then looked down, took a deep breath,

“I hear what happened last week,” Peter swore he could feel a sharp pain in his chest, and Gwen reacted fast when she saw his widened eyes, “I’m sorry, I know it’s not my business, but my dad is the captain of the NYPD and talks about work at dinner, and I just… I thought you could need some help.”

“I…” Peter was silent for a moment, as he tried to find his words, “I understand where you’re coming from, but I’m fine,”

“Are you though?” Gwen asked, which Peter stopped in his tracks, and looked back at her,

“... No one has asked me that so far. They only would say, ‘That’s good, have a nice day!’ or, ‘It gets easier every day.’ Like, how can it get easier? How?” Peter said, as pent up anger started to boil over,

“It doesn’t get easier, at least from my point of view,” Peter looked at her, “My mom died when I was seven. Every day, my dad and I would struggle to fully accept what happened. And people would say that grief is like a mountain, but it’s a wall. A large, looming wall that you have to punch through to finally accept it.”

“Wow, I’m sorry that happened to you, about your mom,” Peter said, the rage fading away. He then smiled, “I would love to join your guy’s dinner.”

* * *

Peter looked down at the new note written in cursive, having the address of Gwen’s apartment. Peter had to mentally process the part of how he now has a friend! An honest to God friend who isn’t paying him to tutor them or join sports and shoved him down trash cans. No, Gwen Stacy was an actual friend. May almost leaped in the air from the news, and gladly let Peter visit Gwen. 

There was, however, one, small, incy, wincy problem: Gwen lives in Manhattan, and Peter lived in Queens. Of course, a quick search on google maps let Peter know that her apartment was near the bridge that connected the island to the mainland. It’s a good thing for Peter that he was able to stick and leap across rooftops, and got an incredible look on top of the bridge. Peter was even tempted to bring out the shining inventions he made when he was a TV star, but he decided against using them and continued his way towards Gwen’s apartment.

Peter finally made it to the door, and pressed the buzzer,

“ _Hello_?” Said a familiar voice,

“Gwen! Can you buzz me in?”

“Of course, come on in!” Peter cringed as the buzzer ranged, and the door was unlocked. Peter went in and was impressed by how clean everything looked. He entered the elevator and pressed the floor button that was on the note. The elevator smelled like floor cleaner, though not overbearing, though the fluorescent light was giving Peter a small headache. The elevator dinged after a minute, and Peter speed-walked towards the apartment number. After knocking on the door, it was opened by Gwen,

“Peter! I’m glad you could make it!” Peter now had a dreadful thought in his mind that maybe he should’ve double check to see how his hair was, or any acne was becoming their own living beings on his face, “Well, come on in!”

The inside of the apartment was neat, giving Peter a very warm sense of comfort, as the walls were lined with photos of precious memories. On shelves in the kitchen were small ships neatly tuck into bottles, “So, where’s your dad?” Peter asked,

“He’s getting the food,” Gwen then frowned at the clock on the wall, “Though he might take a while since he’s coming off his shift.”

“Alright then, so while we wait, let’s get some icebreakers out of the way! I got a question that I been burning to ask you about.”

“What’s up?”

“You, the kindest person in midtown high, are the girlfriend of Flash Thompson? How?” Gwen softly laughed,

“He was a lot better when we first met before all the popularity got to his head. I just figured that if I stuck around, he would get better.” Gwen said as she went into the kitchen,

“It would take some miracle for that to happen,” Peter said as he glanced around the pictures on the walls, and had to take a second glance at one, “You’re friends with Harry Osborn too!?”

“Yeah! He’s a cool guy once you get to know him,” Gwen came back with plates, “We met through daycare since both of our dads were busy with their work.”

“All I know about him is that he’s a total slacker, never pays attention to class notes. At least he paid well.” Gwen then widened her eyes,

“You’re his tutor!?”

“I _was_ his tutor,” Peter sat down at the table, “He yelled at me that I didn’t tutor him when I was… busy, and I told him off.” Gwen huffed,

“Look, I know you are a good guy and something horrible happened to you, but you got to stop being so cynical!”

“Stop being cynical? I’ll have you know, on the day I was born, I had a salt and vinegar chip on my shoulder!” Gwen laughed, and sat down,

“Okay, you can still be salt and vinegar incarnate, but at least give Harry a chance, okay?”

“Fine, but you have to tell him to at least take down some notes, alright?”

“Okay, I will,” Then, they heard the door unlocking, “Yes! He’s here!” Gwen rushed out of her seat and opened the door. Peter was quick behind, and helped Captain Stacy, who still had his police uniform on, except for his hat, as his hair shimmered with a silvered blond,

“Thank you, sweetheart. And you must be Peter,” George held out his hand, and Peter shook it, “It’s nice to meet you. Also, do you like General Tso’s Chicken or Mu Shu Pork?” Peter just smiled,

“How can I choose?”

The dinner was delicious, but due to having a super metabolism, Peter was still hungry. However, he didn’t want to be rude to the Stacy’s. Peter then glanced at a newspaper near Captain Stacy,

“So, what’s the news?” George handed the paper over to Peter, written by the Daily Bugle, with the headline being:

_$ 7,000 For a Snapshot of the Vulture!!!_

“The Vulture?”

“Yep, a homicide: a man was wearing what appeared to be a wingsuit, and dropped another man from about a thousand feet in the air,” George then winced, “Sorry, I’m used to getting into depth about my cases.”

“It’s alright sir, my aunt loves the ID channel,” Peter said as he starred at the cash prize, and then looked further into the paper. An article about the Fantastic Four, Daredevil, and crime rising.

“So, how have you been lately?” George asked,

“Oh, uh,” Peter stumbled as he set the paper down, “I-it’s been hard, I guess.” George frowned,

“I’m glad your honest son, though it’s okay to elaborate. You don’t have to, but this is a safe place.” Peter looked down, and found the words he was meaning to find for over a week,

“I… I’ve been struggling, not going to lie,” Peter said, “And there is a part of me that I feel that was smothered because of it, and I don’t want to unsmother it, because that would mean I’m over it, but I’m not.” Captain Stacy grew a somber face, but chuckled when he looked at Gwen,

“You know, I use to love bottled ships,” George said, 

“Really? The ones in the kitchen?” Peter asked,

“Yeah! Those were ones that my wife would get me, one every birthday. It was calming to me, slowly piecing it together,” George then stood up, and grabbed from a high shelf a ship, “When she… Passed away, I didn’t want to do anything with bottled ships. It felt wrong to even think about doing them. But then, Gwen gave me one for my birthday, and not since the longest time, I was happy,” George smiled at Gwen, and then patted Peter on the shoulder,

“So, I should get into bottled ships?” Captain Stacy burst out laughing, and quickly found his composure,

“No, though it is a good hobby. No, that part you smother, it’s the part that reminds you of your uncle, and it will hurt if you do unsmother it at first, but you’ll feel a lot better once you get into it. I guess you would feel… Amazing!” Peter’s face showed that he was deep in thought, when George looked down at his watch, “Look at the time! I better get you home!”

“Oh, I’m fine, Mr. Stacy. I know a safe way home.”

“Okay, well have a good night Peter!” Peter said goodbye to the Stacy’s and rushed home. Hopping along rooftops and crawling across walls, Peter was able to get home before it was deep into the night. On the kitchen table, Peter saw multiple bills: One for electricity, one for water, one for the mortgage, and one for the internet! Peter groaned, and slowly crept upstairs.

Aunt May was asleep in her room, and Peter opened his door. He looked around his room, and pulled out his notes from his desk, with the label: Webbing 1.0! Out of the trunk from his closet, Peter held in his hands a mask. The mask had two large glasses, making it look like a bug creature, with black lines in the form of webbing. Peter looked at the mask, and looked at his dresser, and reached over to hold in his hands a photo of an older man and a younger version of Peter, cheering at the Mets finally won a game. Peter smiled as tears started to form, and said,

“Okay, I’ll do it, Uncle Ben, I’ll do it."


	4. Two Birds, One Stone

The corner store owner raised his hands as a thug wearing a ski mask pointed his gun at him,

“Give me the money man! Give me the money!” The thug yelled,

“Please!” The owner begged, “This business is my livelihood!” The gun cocked as the thug began to squeeze the trigger. The owner closed his eyes as he heard a sound that he wasn’t expecting. It was a… _thwip_? The owner opened his eyes as the thug was attached to the ceiling of the store, covered in a silky substance. The owner then saw a letter on the floor and called the cops.

* * *

“We’re going to get you down, little girl!” Yelled a fireman as the apartment roared flames. The little girl looked out, sobbing as she yelled,

“Mommy!!!” The firemen slowly went into the building, but their hearts shattered when they saw the stairs leading up collapse in front of them. They got out, and slowly gathered around the mother, about the break the bad news, when they heard something surprising, “Mommy!!!”

The mother squeezed her sweet daughter in a tight hug, “Oh honey, how did you get down from there?”

“A man. He said that I could wear a fire hat!” The mother and the firemen were confused when someone pointed toward the fire hose. Pulled up by a silver thread as water pumped throughout the upper floors. The firefighters looked in awe as the fires died down. The hose was lowered, and everyone screamed in terror and amazement as a man jumped out, and swung on the same silver thread with a _thwip_. The little girl then gave the firefighter a note, “He said to give this to you, Mr. Fireman.” The firefighter looked down, and seen a letter written in cursive, and smiled.

* * *

Jameson slammed his fist on the table, “First murderous vultures, now there’s a Spider-Man!?” Jameson looked up at Leeds and Urich, “Next, you’re going to tell me that green monster in Nevada’s real! How about this? If Captain America comes back I’ll give raises to everyone!”

“Jonah, it’s true!” Leeds said, “An owner of a corner store reported the same thing that has happened all over the city! Muggings, robberies, assaults, car chases, fires, you name it, he’s been there.”

“Yeah, and every time, he leaves this,” Urich then showed everyone a note written in cursive, saying: _Courtesy, your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man_.

“Where did you get this?” Robbie asked,

“The cops said that they have so many of these notes from today, that I could just keep one!”

“So, a man wearing a red and black suit, shooting webs out of his hands, stopped a total of 80 crimes, and saved dozens of people, so here’s my question,” Jonah raised himself from his desk, and leaned closer to his reporters, “Where’s the picture?”

“There isn’t anything! Only crappy videos that were taken from a phone,” Urich said,

“Okay, how about the webs?”

“That’s the thing: The webs disappeared.”

“What? How can a bunch of sticky snot just fade away!?”

“Cops showed up, took samples of the web, and they dissolved,” Leeds spoke up, “There’s nothing Jonah, but the word of the people.” Jameson rolled his eyes,

“Save that lovey-dovey stuff with Ms. Brant, alright Leeds?” Jameson walked over to his window, cigar in his mouth, “No pictures of the Vulture either?”

“Sorry Jonah, it’s been a month since. There’s a lot of people searching though,” Robbie said, “And a lot of fake photos too.” Jonah then stood there, the gears turning in his head. Finally, an idea burst with gleaming light in his mind,

“How about this? People want to take photos of the Vulture, and there’s this Spider-Man, right?” Jonah then went over to the whiteboard, and written down on it,

_$14,000 For a Picture of Both the Vulture and Spider-Man!!!_

“Jonah!” Robbie yelled, “We can’t just give fourteen grand away for a picture!”

“It’ll be the picture of a lifetime Robbie!” Jonah said, patting Robbie’s shoulder, “It’s what Sheldon keeps yapping about, the Age of Marvels!” Robbie rubbed his head, and looked over at the door slightly ajar, “I know you’re there, Foswell! Charge down to the printing presses, and get this instant, or you’re fired!!!” Foswell stumbled back,

“Yes sir, right away sir!”

* * *

Peter looked across the table in silence, as Harry did the same. Normally, they would sneer at each other, or roll their eyes, but right now they were under Gwen’s gaze,

“So, what is your guy’s favorite day of the week?” Gwen asked as she looked down at a few notecards,

“How many icebreaker questions do you have?” Harry asked,

“Yeah, we’ve been doing this for a month, and I know that Harry likes pistachio pie for some reason, and he knows that I like wheat cakes,” Peter said,

“I just don’t understand, just eat pancakes!” Harry said, and Peter looked back at Harry with disdain,

“I just don’t understand, just have some pistachios!” Gwen rubbed her forehead as she tries the monumental task of making these two like each other,

“Okay, fine, no more icebreakers,” Gwen tossed the rest of the notecards into her bag, “I just know that you guys will-”

“Gwen, I get it, you want your two friends to like each other,” Harry then gathered his books, “But we’re like oil and water. I’ll catch you later when we watch the new Star Wars, not even if it’s going to be good.”

“Wait,” Peter spoke up, bewildered by the words Harry said, “You like Star Wars?”

“Yeah, when my mom was alive, we watch the original and the prequels. I don’t know if the new ones are gonna live up to the other six, but who knows!”

“Quick, ‘I don’t like sand…’”

“‘It’s rough and coarse and irritating, and it gets everywhere.’ Wow, a surprise to be sure-”

“But a welcome one!” Harry and Peter smiled, and Gwen dropped her jaw,

“Star Wars? That’s what got you guys to like each other, Star Wars?”

“Yeah, my uncle loved the series, we even watched the clone wars cartoons.”

“Awesome man!” Harry then smirked, “I guess you are pretty cool. Hey, wanna hang out later?” Peter’s eyes widened,

“Sure man, I may be a bit late, but yeah!” The bell rang, and Peter ate lunch with content.

* * *

Adrian looked down at the convoy, a bunch of vans with the word, _Oscorp_ , marking them. He sneered, and looked over to his right, “You ready?” A man wearing a yellow jacket looked back,

“Yeah, and whatever is inside, we’ll split it, alright?” Adrian smiled,

“Herman, I don’t care if you get ¾ of the money, I want to hurt Osborn.”

“Oh, well this definitely will!” Adrian grabbed Herman from under the arms, and they flew off. Adrian met Herman during their time at Oscorp. Though, Herman was more of a mechanical engineer, much more down to earth, “This flight suit is the best! And I like the green to it!”

“It’s designed for aerodynamics, allowing me to fly without injuring myself. Plus, I look pretty snazzy with this aviator’s suit on,” Adrian then looked back, “Although, I think I went overboard with the green leather and wings.”

“Nah, it’s all about marketing! There’s going to be a lot of guys lining up to hire you! You should even ask Marko or Dillon, they got it good with the Big Man!”

“Hmm, I’ll think about it,” Adrian smiled as they approached the van, and Adrian slowly let Herman go on the top of the truck. Herman laughed as charged up his gauntlets, punched through the back doors, and ripped it out. Inside, we’re bags of money,

“I’ll throw them to you, got it?” Adrian shook his head, and easily grabbed the bags, and flew back to somewhere safe. He then went back and grabbed more bags. Adrian smiled as he zoomed so fast, that no one around on the sidewalk was able to get a good look at his face. However, when he got back to the van, Herman was nowhere to be seen. Adrian zoomed around, and found Herman upside down at a light post, as the pedestrians scrambled away from the winged man,

“What the hell happened?” Herman shook himself, and looked at Adrian,

“Oh, hey Vulture-” Herman then bobbed his head over to the side, and his eyes widened, “look out!” Adrian turned around, and quickly zoomed towards the sky as a web-connected to his boot,

“Finally! I’ve been searching for months to find you!” Adrian looked down to see large, white, glass bug eyes looked back at Adrian, with red and black spandex, “I mean, I check KFC, Popeyes, even the meat section at the store! I then thought you were going cold turkey from crime, learned your lesson, but I guess you’re a bad egg _and_ a chicken! How about we-”

“Shut up!” Adrian yelled as he slammed the bug freak into a building, and continued to fly away. However, he stopped in place, and looked back in sheet surprise as this bug boy stuck to the building, pulling Adrian in,

“That kinda hurt, but I guess I should’ve… duck? I don’t know, I’m just making bird puns as I go!” Adrian reached into his jacket and pulled out a revolver. Before he could fire at the freak, the bug boy dodges out of the way and leaped toward Adrian. They tumbled around the sky, Adrian trying to shoot this guy, and the bug man shooting webs all around them. They landed on a rooftop, and Adrian tried to fly away, but his wings were stuck to the roof,

“What the hell are you anyway, you freak!” The man stood up,

“Ow, ow, man this roof is hard!” And looked back at the Vulture, “Oh, I’m Spider-Man, you might’ve heard of me from wrestling, T.V., being a big-time superhero, you know, being… Awesome!” Spider-Man then spun a web, and pulled away Adrian’s gun,

“You don’t know who you’re messing with, Spider-Boy!” Adrian then quietly controlled his wings, slowly cutting out of the webs,

“It’s Spider-Man, and I’m not the guy who dropped a man from the sky!” Adrian chuckled,

“Who hired you? Fisk? Osborn!?!” Spider-Man froze,

“What are you talking about?” Adrian then managed to get free and zoomed toward Spider-Man. Spidey dodged out of the way of the razor-sharp feather, and they struggled on top of the roof. Spidey went in for a punch, but Vulture blocked it with his metal wings. _Flash!_ Vulture raised himself from the roof and slammed down toward Spidey, who managed to dodge out of the way. _Flash!_ Spidey launched a punch at the Vulture and knocked his aviator goggles and helmet off. _Flash!_

“Enough!” Vulture then picked Spider-Man up, and zoomed toward the sky, “I don’t care who hired you, stay out of my way!” Vulture then dropped Spider-Man, but he managed to latch a web on Vulture’s boot, “I’ll give it to you, you’re persistent. If you manage to survive this,” Adrian then sliced the web strand, “Tell Norman that Adrian is coming after him.” Vulture then smiled and zoomed back to his hideout.

* * *

Peter screamed as he fell, _Oh God! Oh, God! What do I do, what do I do!?!_ Peter then looked at the large buildings around him, _Okay, I only swung in Queens before this but… 2 pi… times the square root of the length of this web by 9.8 meters per second squared… Please let this work_. Peter shot a web at a building, and swung towards the ground in an arc, building up more and more speed,

“HOLY $@&%!!!!!!” Peter screamed as he launched toward the sky, launched in the air at speeds that match the Vulture! Peter quickly shot two webs at a building left of him, and turned, laughing, “I’m alive! I’M ALIVE!!!”

Peter landed on the roof, his heart racing and muscles aching, “Man, that was something!” _Flash!_ Peter looked over to see a flashing light, and dashed over, “Please, let me get something good for Jonah,” Peter said as he picked up his camera, “It’s going to take a while, but there should be pictures for tomorrow!” Peter then looked at the time, “Crap! Star Wars!”

* * *

Jonah drank his coffee with Robbie in his office as there was a weak knock at the door,

“What is it Foswell?” The door opened, and Foswell opened the door as a young kid walked in, “Who the hell is this!?!”

“Hi sir, Peter Parker,” Peter held his hand out, but Jonah just crossed his arms, reading who this kid is. Robbie shook Peter’s hand,

“Hi there, is there something you have for us?”

“Oh, yeah,” Peter grabbed three photos, “I have the pictures of Spider-Man and the Vulture.” Jonah rolled his eyes and grabbed the photos from Peter’s hand, ready to through them in the trash, when his jaw dropped, his cigar falling to the floor. As Foswell scrambled to pick up the cigar, Jonah peered into the photos of Spider-Man fighting the Vulture, and the real face of the Vulture!

“Who took these?” Jonah said,

“I did, yesterday, but I used film so they weren’t ready till today. Watch Star Wars though,” Jonah gave some of the photos to Robbie, who marveled over the pictures,

“You’re sure you took these?”

“Yeah! Something wrong?” Jonah shook his head,

“So, you’re the lucky winner of the grand prize!” Jonah stood up, and rubbed Peter’s shoulders, “I’ll write the check, take it to the nice woman at the desk outside, and never come back here, okay?” Peter snapped a look at Jonah,

“Wait, I want to have a job!” Jonah looked at Peter, and laughed,

“Hahahahahaha, Hahahahah… You’re serious?”

“Yeah!” Jonah looked at Robbie, who shrugged,

“Well, I can’t put you on a job, but if you do freelance, I’ll be okay with that. Just keep getting me pictures of Spider-Man, and I’ll pay you about… 500 per picture worth my time, how does that sound?” Peter smiled, and shook Jonah’s hand,

“I’ll like that! Trust me, neither of us is going to regret this!” Peter said. A smiled was planted on Peter’s face as ran down an alley, and swung home as Spider-Man.

* * *

Saturday morning, Peter and May are eating breakfast as the T.V. plays the news, and Peter watches intensely,

“Today, the Daily Bugle has released photos of not only the Vulture but also the mysterious Spider-Man! We turn to J. Jonah Jameson as he tells us what he thinks about the two figures,”

“Thank you, Debra,” Jonah said, wearing a nice suit and tie, “The Vulture was a cowardly murderer, who killed the innocent man named Gregory Bestman! And now, we know he is Adrian Toomes!” Peter felt an itch in his mind as if he remembered those two names somewhere. However, that itch went away quickly as his jaw dropped for what Jonah said next, “And the glory hound known as Spider-Man is just as worse! He is a masked vigilante who makes things worse! Sure he stops crimes, but he is just fooling the eyes of New York! Let New York’s Finest and New York’s Bravest take care of the fires and crimes! This is why I ask New York this question, the same question I had as my headline! Spider-Man: Threat or Menace?”


	5. Public Menace

Peter starred at his cracked phone at the article he was reading, his face fuming as he read the words: 

_Spider-Man: Threat or Menace!?!_

“This doesn’t make any sense,” Peter mumbled to himself as the teacher droned on about how linear equations appear on graphs. Peter zoned out and focused on the article, confident in his skills in calculus, and read on about Spider-Man,

“Spider-Man is nothing but a glory hound!” Said the beginning of the article written by J. Jonah Jameson himself, “He endangers the populace with his powers, ignores the law by being a vigilante! How can we trust someone who did monkey tricks on T.V.!?” Peter groaned as he slipped his phone into his pocket, and argued with himself,

“ _Hey, why not just quit the Daily Bugle? No pictures, no Jameson yelling how horrible you are, when you save other people!_ ”

“ _Yeah, but most of the money that I got from the pictures of me fighting the Vulture was spent on the house and Uncle Ben’s grave plot! I can’t just quit now when May depends on me!_ ”

“ _Alright fine! Just focus on being a normal nerd and big-time superhero, and everything will be alright!_ ”

“Parker!” Peter looked up, and saw his teacher folding his arms, “Are you paying attention?” Peter looked at the whiteboard and seen an equation,

“Yeah, if M equals 2, B equals 3, and Y equals 10, then X has to be 3.5,” The teacher relaxed his posture, and continued to ramble on about the linear equation.

Peter was about to go back into his mind when a note landed on his desk. Peter looked behind him and saw Harry was there. Peter opened the letter, and it said:

“Hey, Pete! I know how much of a science geek you are, so do you wanna come to my dad’s expo? It’s tonight!” Peter quickly looked back at Harry and gave a thumbs up.

* * *

“You’re sure it’s safe here?” Adrian asked as Herman knocked on the door,

“Yeah, the people in charge make sure this place is safe,” Herman said, “Just make sure you don’t break any of the rules here.”

“What do I call this place?”

“It’s a bar that has no name. No name, no records, no cops busting down. Make’s it so that it practically doesn’t exist.” As the two walked in, all the thugs that drank their beers cheered aloud,

“Herman!!!”

“Hey everyone, I would like you all to meet the deadly Vulture!” Adrian smiled as a bunch of oohs and ahs filled the bar. The two gentlemen sat down at the corner of the bar, and Herman paid for some shots, “You got a reputation there, it’ll make you great at freelance!”

“Freelance? I thought I was working with you, Herman?” The waitress came back with the shots, and walked over to another table,

“About that,” Herman said as he poured himself a shot, “My employer got me out of the slammer, but… I can’t work with you anymore.”

“What? Why?” Herman looked around, and lowered his voice,

“You hit it off great with the other guys, dropping a guy like that? Flying with metal wings? Ruthless! It tells everyone you mean business… but,” Herman knocked back a drink, shivered from the shot of tequila, and continued, “You’re a wild card, and the higher-ups aren’t sure to trust you! I’m sorry man.”

“It’s fine, thank you for being there though,”

“Hey, just because I can’t work with you,” Herman said as he pulled an envelope out of his jacket, “Doesn’t mean I can’t tell you stuff.”

“What’s this?” Adrian said, opening the envelope,

“Norman is doing an expo tonight, and guess what’s on there.” Adrian looked at the list of technologies. Adrian looked through the list: Combat gear, holographic projectors, state of the art incendiary grenades… a flight engine-

“That- That snake! The man is nothing but a shell filled with lies and treachery!” Adrian stood up, and rushed towards the exit, with Herman following behind,

“Wait, man! I know you’re after Norman, but he’s a big player in this business!”

“I don’t care! I’ll hang his guts from the Crysler Building for all I care!” Herman then rested his hand on Adrian’s shoulder outside the Bar with No Name,

“If you try to kill him, everyone will go after you! Hammerhead, Tombstone, Silvermane, the Big Man himself will try to murder you!”

“Herman,” Adrian stopped and turned around, “If you were so worried about my safety, then why would you ever give me this note?”

“I-I thought it was the right thing to do, and I didn’t want to keep any secrets from you. But I don’t want you to become the most wanted man in all of New York!”

“Herman, you remember the night we met? I just killed Gregory, and you were the only one I knew who could help me,” Adrian softly smiled, “You then showed me the news, and introduced me to the underworld of crime. I didn’t know why, of course.”

“You were down on your luck. I was like that,” Herman then scratched his head, “High school drop out, no diploma to get into college, and in hot water with the Big Man, I looked for whatever I could find to solve my problem. I thought that if I did the same with you, things would turn out better!”

“It would if Spider-Man didn’t get involved,” Adrian said, sneering at the name of his foe,

“Right, but things can get back up! Join Hammerhead or Tombstone, any one of those guys would be begging for you to soar in and swipe some cash!” Adrian looked down, as the clouds started to form,

“It’s gonna be a long night, Herman,” Adrian said, “And I think it’ll be a night to remember. Thank you again, and I’ve been thinking about it,”

“Thinking about what?” Herman asked,

“Shocker sounds like a good name.” And with that, Adrian marched down to his hideout.

* * *

“This place is amazing!” Peter said, his camera around his neck, “Sorry Jameson wanted me to take photos of this place, Harry!”

“No problem,” Harry said. The room was filled with marvelous devices, each of them astounded Peter as he took picture after picture, “Oh boy, look who’s here,” Peter looked up, and saw Gwen in a gorgeous dress… next to Flash,

“What’s he doing here?” Peter asked,

“I invited Gwen and told her to take a plus one. I thought she would take her dad, but I guess I was wrong.” The two quickly stopped nagging about Flash as Gwen approached with the star quarterback,

“Sup Harry, sick party!” Flash said, fist-bumping Harry,

“Well, my dad likes to impress,”

“Though, I don’t know why Parker is-” Flash’s ribs ached as Gwen nudged him with her elbow, “I mean, sup Parker,” and raised a fist. Peter was about to deny the fist bump, but the glare emanating from Gwen’s eyes made him reconsider,

“Sure man, it’s so lit for us to be here!” Peter said, failing to try to sound cool, as Harry whispered,

“Eh, could work on that,”

“So,” Gwen said, “You wanted to meet Dr. Connors, Peter?” Peter's eyes widened,

“Wait, Dr. Connors is here?”

“Yup, so is Dr. Octavius!” Peter felt like his mind was about to blow up,

“Who are those guys?” Flash asked,

“Only the most advanced scientists in the world behind Reed Richards!” Peter then looked at Harry, “And Harry’s dad,”

“Eh, he’s more of a business type of guy. What about Tony Stark?”

“What about Tony Stark?”

“You kidding me Parker?” Flash said, “His freaking bodyguard is Iron Man!”

“Right, the so-called, ‘Invincible,’ Iron Man, who gets smacked around daily,” Peter then looked at Gwen, “Where are they?”

“I can show them to you! Catch you guys later?” Flash and Harry waved, and Peter was breathing heavily,

“Oh man, I’m so nervous right now!”

“Don’t worry, they’re gonna love you when they see how much of a brainiac you are!” Peter then looked ahead and saw his scientific heroes currently alive.

Curt Conners and Otto Octavius wore fashionable suits, and both looked different from the surrounding party. Conners was missing his right arm and was followed closely by his wife, Martha Conners, and their son, Billy. Otto was alone, with a short stature below 5 ft, and seemed unamused with the party. Curt looked over, and smiled at Gwen,

“Gwen! It’s great to see you!” The two scientists then looked at Peter, “And who’s this?”

“This is the person I thought would be a great intern for you, Dr. Connors,” Gwen said, as Peter raised his hand and shook Dr. Connors’ left hand,

“Peter, Peter Parker, it’s an honor to meet you all!” Otto’s ears perked, and looked up at the boy,

“Parker? As in _Richard Parker_?”

“Uh, yeah! I’m his son, how did you know him?”

“Peter,” Connors explained, “I worked with your father for a while! Before he joined that project with Brock,”

“Hmm, yes,” Otto said, “Sadly that project is locked forever being legal issues with Trask Industries! Nevertheless, it’s great to know you followed your father’s line of work!”

“Yeah, I studied your work on the Tritium core, it sounds amazing!”

“You read my work? You… _understood_ it?”

“Yeah, that if you were to have a Tritium core in a nuclear reactor, it would generate enough energy to rival the sun! Though there would be an issue with magnetic interference-”

“-Which would require it to be built in the sea with non-ferrokinetic surfaces to maximize safety! You have read my work! What grade are you in?”

“Sophomore, though I get bored,”

“You’re a Sophomore, and you understood Otto’s work?” Connors asked,

“Yeah, and I read your work, how reptile DNA could help regenerate lost limbs and cure numerous diseases!” Curt looked at Gwen, and had a large grin on his face,

“Peter, I would be honored to have you as an intern,”

“Only if I could have him as an intern as well!” Otto chimed in,

“Wait, you both want me to be your interns?”

“Of course!” Otto said, “It’ll look great on your college resume, and give us a fresh point of view on our research!”

“So what do you say, Peter?” Curt asked,

“I’ll have to talk to my aunt, see what she thinks about it, but yes! Yes!” Peter said as he shook both scientists' hands. Then, the microphone blared,

“Would you give it up to Norman Osborn!” Everyone clapped as Norman walked up the stage, striding with confidence, looking at the shareholders,

“Good evening my fellow guests!” Norman began, “Around you is the future! The future of defense, of living, and progress! Some of you may have talked to our esteemed scientists that have carried the scientific endeavors of Oscorp: Dr. Octavius, Dr. Connors, Dr. Warren, Dr. Smythe, and Dr. Stromm!” everyone cheered their name as they waved around, “Of course, this is also a night to remember our esteemed researcher and developer, Gregory Bestman, who helped researched the flight engine capable of a clean, cheap way for anyone to fly around-” 

Peter thought to himself, _Bestman? The guy who the Vulture murdered? Wait, a flight engine-_ Peter felt an electrical stab throughout his brain, as the skylight crashed, and a roaring engine descended into the room; The Vulture has come for a dish best served cold.

* * *

“Norman!” the Vulture yelled as the guests screamed and rushed out of the room, “You traitorous scum! You showcase my invention to the world, and make it look like you and Gregory built it!?!” Norman looked over at his bodyguard and nodded. The man in black reached into his suit for a gun, but was quickly shot in the shoulder,

“Adrian, w-we can talk about this!” the Vulture aimed his gun at Norman. Harry screamed for his dad. Gwen looked for Peter throughout the maelstrom of chaos. One voice rang out,

“Hey, freak!” The Vulture turned his head to have an ice sculpture of a swan thrown at him, knocking him down, as Flash Thompson grabbed his steel bat,

“Flash!?” Gwen screamed, “Where did you get that?”

“Don’t worry babe,” Flash said, “I always carry my bat!” Flash then readied a swing, but was knocked over by the metallic wings of the Vulture, and was carried by the ankle,

“Is this you hired, 'superhero,' Norman!?” Vulture zoomed out, and prepared to drop Flash in front of Norman, Gwen, Harry, and anyone else who was still in the room, “Let this be a start for your end, Norman!” Vulture dropped Flash out of everyone’s view, as Gwen screamed out of terror.

The Vulture slowly flew closer to the stage, ready to exact his revenge, when he heard something behind him, “Hey, ugly duckling!” The stunned Vulture turned around, and a table was thrown at him, as Spider-Man swung into the room with Flash under his arms. He dropped down next to Harry and Gwen, “Take him, and get out of here, now!” Spider-Man then webbed up the old bird to the floor.

Peter's heart raced as he heard his webs snapping behind him, as he got closer to Norman, “Who are you!?” Norman asked,

“You’re friendly neighbor, now let’s get you out of here!” Spider-Man then heard the doors kick open, as New York’s Finest showed up,

“Freeze, get on the ground!”

“Uh, guys, the Vulture is already on the ground?” A couple of cops surrounded the Vulture, as the main group slowly crept closer to the stage, their guns pointed straight ahead, “Uh, you’re pointing your guns at the wrong-” An alarm blared in Peter’s head, he tossed Norman out of the way, and leaped toward the ceiling as the cops opened fire, “What the hell!?”

“Get the freak-” The cops around the Vulture were tossed aside, and he zoomed out of there, screaming at the top of his lungs,

“I’ll get you Norman, I’ll get you!!!” The cops then turned their attention and saw Spider-Man gone, escaping the scene. Captain Stacy charged in the room,

“Why the hell did you open fire!?”

“Sir, the mayor put an arrest warrant on Spider-Man, I thought you knew,” Said one of the officers, his gun’s barrel still had smoke drifting upward,

“Well, because of that, the Vulture got away!” the Captain then saw his daughter, and rushed over,

“Gwen, are you okay?”

“Oh, my God dad, what’s going on!?”

“We’re figuring it out, as soon as possible,”

“How’s my dad?” Harry asked,

“I’m fine, son,” Norman said, shaken from the ordeal. George motioned Norman to walk over for a private conversation,

“Norman, do you know who Adrian Toomes is? Anything that might help the police?” Norman said nothing for a while, his hand over the side of his head, “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine, and no, I don’t know who Adrian is.”

* * *

Everyone gathered outside, where the paramedics checked on the guests. Flash didn’t move, and stared blankly ahead as Peter approached the group,

“Peter, thank God you’re okay!” Gwen said, tightly hugging him,

“Is everyone alright?” Peter asked,

“Well, besides being attacked by a birdman, I think we’re good,” Harry said, “I’m just glad everyone is okay, especially my dad!” Peter then looked over Harry’s shoulder,

“How’s Flash?”

“He’s been like this for a while, but I think he’ll be okay.”

“Where were you? We searched all over for you!” Gwen asked,

“Oh, I rushed out of the party!” Peter said. Before Gwen could say anything about the flimsy excuse, they all heard Flash laughing, “Flash, You alright?”

“I… I’m alive! That guy, he… saved me!” Flash stood up, and kissed Gwen, “I’ll call you tomorrow, okay? I gotta do something real quick!” Flash then rushed off home. Peter didn’t know why that kiss made his heart hurt, but he was happy everyone was alright, though he could live without almost getting shot at.

* * *

Norman looked at the laptop in front of him in his office when his closest employees came in, “We have a problem,” Said a man with a bullet wound in his shoulder,

“I know, Kingsley, and I see that you did a good job. Your check is in the mail. Gargan?”

“I don’t where Toomes is, sir,” Said a man in a fedora and trench coat, “However, I think he’s somewhere in Staten Island.”

"What about Spider-Man?" Gargan shrugged his shoulders,

"Don't know, the guy popped out from being on T.V to catching thugs like flies!" The room looked at him, "What? It's catchy!"

“Thank you, Gargan, keep searching and that money you owe to Tombstone will disappear,” The two gentlemen left, leaving Norman with… himself,

“I want a raise,” Said the Norman in front of the desk, rubbing his shoulder,

“I know, you need to do this a little longer, my friend-”

“No, I want a raise, and I want to carry a gun,” Norman rubbed his forehead as the man in front of him folded his arms,

“Fine, you’ll get a hundred dollar raise, and you can carry a gun, but only if you are not in sight of the public!” Norman looked up to see the man in front of him flicker. The image became distorted, and for a moment, revealing a face that was barely even a face, only two black eyes, and a mouth slit, “We need to repair that suit as soon as possible.”

“Alright, I’ll visit Beck in the morning, till then,” the flickering Norman walked away, slowly turning invisible, “I’ll blend in.”


	6. The Tinkerers

Peter, Harry, and Gwen looked on as Flash marched throughout the halls with buttons of a red spider logo, “Flash, what are you doing?” Peter asked,

“Well, I almost died last week, and it made me realize something,” Flash said,

“What?” Peter asked,

“I was a jerk!” Flash said, “I was a bully, and most of my life I spent it on being a no-good football player? No, if anything, I want to be a hero!”

“So, you passing out buttons is connected because?” Harry asked,

“Well, I need to tell everyone who a true hero is! And that guy is Spider-Man!” Flash then unzipped his jacket, to reveal a red shirt with a large, black spider,

“So, you’re now a Spider-Man fanboy?”

“More like I’m the president of the Spider-Man fan club! I even got a jingle!”

“A jingle?” Gwen asked,

“Yeah, ‘Gooooo Spidey!!!’”

“Oh, like the midtown cheer, ‘Gooooo Tigers!’”

“Yeah, I’m still working on it. You guys wanna join?” The group fell into silence as Peter sighed, and stepped forward,

“Well, if you’re becoming a better person, I’ll join.”

“You will?” Flash said, “I… Thanks, Parker! I-I mean, Pete.” Peter felt like the universe was finally going his way, until Gwen and Flash hugged, and that same pain in his heart returned, as with the sharp pains from fighting the Vulture,

“So, since everyone is here, guess who’s birthday it is!?” Harry said,

“Oh wow,” Peter said, “It’s your birthday? I’ll be honest Harry, I have no idea what to get for you.”

“That’s alright, my dad kinda buys them all, so I’m good. So, you’re all invited, and I’ll see you tonight!” Harry then departed, telling anyone around that they were invited to his party. Flash then scratched the back of his head,

“Sorry babe, I gotta give out more buttons, see you later?” Gwen nodded and leaned in for a kiss on the cheek. Then, Peter and Gwen were left by themselves, and Gwen raised an eyebrow,

“So, what’s going on?”

“What do you mean?” Gwen folded her arms, and leaned in closer,

“You’ve been sick more often, you’re late to school, you show up with bruises, and you disappear at random moments! What’s going on?” Peter sighed,

“I’ve been busy, working for the Bugle and other stuff,”

“That doesn’t answer everything,” Gwen sighed, and Peter felt like he was stabbed with her disappointment, “I thought you could trust me.”

“I do!”

“Then what are you scared of?” Gwen then walked off, leaving Peter alone as he marched off to class.

* * *

“Hey Robbie, is there anything we have here on Adrian Toomes before he was the Vulture?” Peter asked, leaning into Robertson’s office,

“I think we may have something on our databases, but I’ll warn you: The website is really slow.”

“Why didn’t you say so? I’m guessing HTML?”

“Yeah… Are you good at that?”

“Well, I know Python and Java, but it shouldn’t be too difficult to learn HTML. You think I’ll get an actual job here with that?”

“I don’t know, it’s up to Jonah, but if you can balance two jobs at once… I’ll recommend it to him!”

“Thanks!” Peter rushed to a computer, and searched the database, “ _Adrian, Adrian, Adrian… Here!_ ”

_Tech Start-Up Bought by Oscorp!_

_A small tech start-up localized in Staten Island called the “Tinkerers!” was recently bought by a scientific corporation, Oscorp. Norman Osborn, CEO, and founder of Oscorp had this to say,_

_“I see a large amount of potential with Tinkerers, especially with the inventions they have managed to build! I expect great things from these two gentlemen!”_

Peter furrowed his eyebrows, and walked toward the elevator, “ _So Norman bought Tinkerers and hired Toomes and Bestman. But why did he fire Toomes? There’s nothing on it here at the Bugle, but I think I know a way to get more info!_ ”

* * *

Spider-Man crept alongside the behemoth that was Oscorp, which stood at the head of Manhattan. Peter’s arms were aching by the time he reached the top floor and was able to slide a window open. He closed the window behind him, and looked around Norman’s office,

“ _Wow, vanity much?_ ” Then, Peter looked around, seeing the fancy desk, fancy masks, and then saw his prize on the desk, “ _There’s his computer!_ ” Peter quickly moved towards the desk, and opened the computer, but sighed when there was a password required, “ _Great, just great! Maybe there’s something here: Under the keyboard? No. In his desk? Just some papers. Maybe…_ ” Peter looked all over the desk and saw a photo. It was of Norman, Harry, and a woman he didn’t recognize. He flipped it around and opened the back of it, seeing a name written in Norman’s handwriting, “ _Okay, let’s try Emily_ ,” Peter was able to get into the computer, and started to look around.

To say Peter was shocked at what he found was understating it. The whole embezzlement scandal that Adrian was pinned on was all Norman’s fault! Norman was behind it! Peter didn’t know why, but he knew that Adrian was screwed over, and that anger grew to a murderous rage. Peter felt a sharp pang in his forehead, and he looked up. The door was opening.

* * *

Norman walked into his office, and found everything in its place, “Here, Mr. Mayor, is where I wanted to show you my collection!” Behind Norman was a large, bald man, wearing a white suit and black shirt,

“Yes, and I hope we can get into the business?”

“Not in here, Mr. Fisk. My side office is more private than these open windows, especially with flying birds.”

“Yes, I’ll love to discuss more about that problem, with our other benefactors,”

“Agreed,” Norman looked around, and noticed something odd about his desk, but Fisk cleared his throat,

“Shall we discuss business first?”

“Right, after you!” The two men walked into the dark conference room, and the door shut. Spider-Man repelled off the ceiling with a web and pulled out a flash drive from the laptop. He then quietly opened the same window, climbed out, closed it, and swung off. He felt his head tingle a little, but there was no worry in sight. However, where the door stood was a flicker of a person, who immediately walked out of the office.

* * *

Staten Island was always seen as the stepchild of the five boroughs. It was far away from Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Manhattan. The only way to get to Staten Island was the Verrazzano-Narrows bridge from Brooklyn, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and the ferry’s from Manhattan. All in all, it’s a good place to hide from the cops.

Adrian looked around his room and sighed. Old, dusty tools from simpler days, two desks that haven’t been touched in over a decade, and in the middle of the room was Adrian’s only treasure. A 10ft wide set of metallic wings, with his flight harness connecting it all. Adrian looked down, and took a bite out of his chicken sandwich,

“Whoa, is that cannibalism?” Adrian whipped around, gun in hand, but his arm was webbed up to the table,

“How the hell did you find me!?” Adrian shouted, but Spider-Man raised his hands,

“I know what happened! I know what Norman did to you,” Adrian stopped panicking, and looked back up at the wallcrawler, “He swindled you, he and Gregory lied to you.” Adrian was quiet for a moment, then spoke,

“I trusted them,” Adrian said, “Gregory was my only friend in the world, and he… he…”

“Betrayed you, and you got angry,” Spider-Man then stepped down on the floor, and slowly approached Adrian, “What you did was wrong, but what happened to you was even more wrong.”

“Who are you?” Adrian asked, looking up with teary eyes, “How did you find me?”

“I’m just a guy who wants to help people, and you need help. I know this used to be where you and Gregory started Tinkerers-”

“Officially,” Adrian said, “We started in my garage, repairing radios, TVs, DVDs. We got enough money to buy this place,” Adrian looked up at Spider-Man, “You want to help me?”

“Yeah, though I won’t let you murder Norman,” Spider-Man then pulled out a flash drive, “This will bring him down, but you don’t have to kill him.”

“Why?” Adrian turned up to face the masked hero, “He’s the true vulture here! He pecks from the bones of those he hires, taking any bit of money from them. And when they don’t help him anymore, he lets them go. No man should deserve to live like that,”

“I’m sorry, but it’s not up to us to decide that-”

“I concur,” Said a voice, causing both Spider-Man and Adrian to look at where the vaguely Russian voice was, “I think it is up to any man to do what they want to do. I think that’s why I work with my employer,” Out of the shadows, a thin humanoid walked forward. A dark blue and black suit with golden buttons was contrasted by the white figure. The body of the _thing_ had a hexagonal pattern with arms and legs that were too thin for a normal being. However, the head was devoid of any eyes, noses, ears, mouths, “That is if I didn’t owe truly millions to him.”

“What the hell are you?” Adrian asked, slowly cutting himself off the web,

“Well, I can be my boss,” The figure flickered, and Norman was standing there, “His secretary, you old geezer,” A woman stood in front of them, which Adrian could immediately recognize, “Or, I could be a hero,” Then Spider-Man flickered in front of them, wearing a suit, “Or even be a dead man, Adrian,” Adrian stared at himself flickering into the room, then flicker back to his base form, “I am just a chameleon.”

“Look, I don’t know what’s going on anymore,” Spider-Man said, “But I think I can handle some guy-” Spider-Man immediately dodged a gunshot, and the Chameleon charged forward. Before another gunshot rang out throughout the warehouse, Adrian ripped his arm out of the webbing, grabbed a crowbar, and swung at the shapeshifter, who dodged effortlessly,

“You’re working for the wrong man!”

“And I’m looking at a dead man!” The Chameleon then launched his hand forward, and Adrian grabbed the wrist and was knocked over. The palm was of a cloth-like substance, with a sweet smell drifting from hand. Adrian knew from decades of inventing that this smell was of chloroform, and was horrified at what this… _thing_ was made to do. The Chameleon was about to grasp Adrian’s mouth but was pulled away with a simple thwip.

Spider-Man grabbed the Chameleon, and slammed him into the table, “Stop! Let’s talk, alright?”

“No, I will not,” The Chameleon then formed eyes, with no lids, and Spider-Man felt his insides squirm as the veiny sclera and iris stared at him, “In fact, we have something in common if you think about it.”

“What, the fact that everyone here is animal-themed?”

“No, how you think you’re a hero! I know better,” Chameleon then snatched the flash drive, “A person can’t be one thing, they must be multiple people around other people. The only difference,” Then the chameleon flickered his head, becoming thousands of people in a moment, and a distorted, cold voice echoed throughout the warehouse, “It’S tHaT I CaN bE aNyOnE!!!”

“Oh, shut the hell up!” Chameleon then whipped his head toward the old man’s voice and was blasted by a cannon of a revolver. Adrian crept forward the slumped over the body, the head of the Chameleon blocked by his chest, “Now, you tell your boss that-” Adrian stopped talking as the Chameleon turned around, and he saw the face of Gregory,

“Adrian… Why did you kill me?” Adrian was frozen, as Gregory stood up, holding his side, “I know you’re mad, and I’m sorry.”

“I… I’m sorry,” Adrian said, tears rolling down his cheeks, as he blasted the Chameleon in the chest. Adrian then put on his wings, and flew off from the warehouse, with a face of rage and sorrow.

* * *

Spider-Man looked up as Adrian flew out of the skylight. _Crunch_ , Spider-Man then looked to his left to see the Chameleon, standing up, destroying the flash drive, “Till we meet again,” said the Russian voice,

“No, get back here!” Peter yelled, chasing after the fleeing Chameleon. Peter ran after the creepy assassin, but as he turned a corner, he couldn’t find anything but a trail of clothes. Peter then ran back to the skylight and followed where Adrian went.

The sun was setting. Peter could feel his phone vibrate, knowing May was worried. But men’s lives were in danger. He knew Norman was a bad guy, but he’s Harry’s dad! Can he really bring down his friend’s dad without telling him anything? What about Gwen? He lied to her! Peter lied to someone that… that made him happy. Peter then saw Adrian flying, and wanted to ask anyone, _What would Ben do?_

“Adrian!” Peter shouted, his arms aching from swinging so furiously, “Please, let me talk to you! I can help you!” Adrian looked over his shoulder, and stopped his flight near a roof with a water tower,

“Where’s the flash drive?”

“Chameleon crushed it, ran away, and turn invisible or something,” Spider-Man said as he landed on the roof, not caring that the people below were screaming at them, “Listen, I know some good cops, and they’ll listen to you! I promise you that I’ll help you, just stop!” Adrian looked at Peter, and put a hand on his shoulder,

“Thank you, Spider-Man, for treating me like a human being,” Spider-Man then felt his spider-sense tingle, and a sharp pang in his side as Adrian stabbed him in the side. He was then picked up, and was hovered over the water tower, “But for what I’m about to do, I need to be a beast. One with no remorse,” Adrian then pulled the knife out, and let Spider-Man fall into the water tower. He then flew towards the place he knew Norman would be.


	7. Duel to the Death

Gwen looked around the party, worry starting to build up in her mind. She spotted Harry talking to one of the cheerleaders, and walked over,

“Harry!” Harry turned around, and met Gwen with a wide smile,

“Hey! Gwen, meet Liz, Liz, meet Gwen!” The two shook hands as Gwen leaned in towards Harry,

“Harry, where’s Peter?” Harry looked around, and shrugged,

“I don’t know, he’s usually late by five minutes anyway.”

“It’s been almost an hour! He hasn’t responded to any of my texts or calls, have you called?” Harry’s eyebrows were raised, and his wide smile formed into a smug grin,

“Hey Liz, I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

“Sure, I’ll be by the fruit punch!” Liz then walked over by her friends, having a good time. Harry then looked back at Gwen with the same grin,

“Doth my ears deceive me?” Harry began in a horrible attempt at a British accent, “Has thy Gwendolyn been entangled in a lover’s web?” Harry mockingly said, laughing when Gwen’s cheeks quickly grew red,

“What are you talking about! It’s not like that anyway, I’m with Flash!”

“Yes, and yet, my eyes have seen that someone else has made you happier!” Gwen then looked down, trying desperately to not meet Harry’s eyes,

“I like him, but that doesn’t mean anything, right? Can we just be friends?”

“Don’t ask me those questions, Gwen. Ask yourself that, while I will perform a magic trick!” Harry then walked over, and swiftly pulled the tablecloth of the fruit punch table, filling Liz and her friends with awe. Gwen was left alone, trying to process everything, when there was a tap on her shoulder,

“Ms. Stacy?” Gwen turned around, and smiled,

“Mr. Osborn!”

“Please, Gwendolyn, call me Norman!” The two hugged, and Norman looked around, “How are you enjoying the party?”

“Great! Though, I don’t know where Peter is…”

“Parker? I seen him tutoring Harry, seems like a good kid,” Norman then looked around, “I take it your father was busy with his job?”

“Yeah, something happening at Staten Island.”

“Staten Island? What could happen at those suburbs?”

* * *

Peter woke up from the inky darkness and felt the cool water surround him as he floated in the water tower. He felt woozy and weak and knew immediately why: The stab wound. Blood drifted throughout the tower, and he knew he had to stop the bleeding as fast as possible. He turned to his side and aimed his web-shooter at the wound. _Thwip_ ,

“Now my insides will stay inside!” Peter said, softly laughing as he paddled his way towards the side of the water tower. He put his hand on the side of the water tower, and tried to stick to it, “Darn, it’s no use! The sides are too slick!” Peter then slammed his hand into the wall, softly denting the metal. Peter looked around, desperation creeping up his back. He then looked down, and sunk his arm under the water, for it to slowly drift upwards, “Alright, let’s put this noggin to use!”

Spider-Man plunged deep into the water tower, his lungs already burned. He then felt the bottom with his hands, and crouched down, “ _3… 2… 1… NOW!!!_ ” Spider-Man then used all of his muscles to spring towards the top, his body aiding him with the buoyancy, and he bashed through the top of the water tower, his heart pumping to let him know he’s alive.

Peter scrambled out of the water tower and gasped for air. He then stood up and looked toward the western horizon. The red sun sank lower and lower, and the brightest of stars were able to be seen, “I’ve been in there for… about an hour?” Peter then felt a light bulb explode in his head, “The party… Adrian’s going to the party! God, Harry, Gwen, Flash are going to be there! I gotta get there now!” Peter then sprinted off the rooftop, and swung toward the edge of Staten Island, “By the time I get there, Adrian would’ve killed Norman five times over! I gotta get there faster!”

To Peter’s right, a bridge that connected Staten Island to Brooklyn, which then connects to Manhattan to the Brooklyn Bridge. To his left, a ferry that is on its way towards Manhattan. Both ways would take too much time. Peter then looked between them, and through three-story buildings was mainland Brooklyn. Peter breathed in and spun a web at one building, then another at the other. More and more webs were spun, till Peter held a dozen strands in each hand, “Please work, please work!” Peter then pulled back, walking backward. The strands were drawn tighter and tighter. If he didn’t have any super spider strength, his arms would be torn off by now. Finally, his muscles were aching, he then relaxed his grip and unstuck from the rooftop.

Peter slingshot fast across the harbor. The pedestrians below would see a red and black blur zoom across Staten Island. In seven seconds, Peter was halfway towards Brooklyn. Too bad that he started to drift downwards. Three seconds in, he was three-fourths toward Brooklyn when he saw a crane, and Peter felt a lump of hope in his heart. He fired his web, praying that it’ll hit the crane, and then… He felt a tug. Peter’s backside felt _super_ cold as it hit the harbor, but he swung upward into Brooklyn and zipped through the borough to get to the Penthouse.

* * *

“Well, I hope you take care of yourself, I’ll leave you to it!” Norman then walked off, slowly creeping back into his office. Gwen walked outside on the balcony and breathed in the fresh air and the sight of Manhattan. The sun was below the horizon, yet the light spilled over the west. The darkest part of the sky allowed the brightest of stars to peer in. Gwen knew that the city’s lights blocked out the stars but still felt their beauty,

“Hey, babe!” Someone yelled behind her, and Gwen turned to see Flash, wearing his letterman jacket and a red spider shirt,

“Hey Flash, how’s the party?” Flash smiled, and leaned against the balcony,

“Great! I was just having a blast with Randy and Kong, and man! Harry is getting with Liz!? This party is awesome!” Flash looked astounded, truly happy! Which makes Gwen… confused. Flash is becoming a good guy, it’s what she wanted all this time! And yet, something is missing, someone is missing. Gwen buries that thought in the grave as she tries to enjoy herself with her… friend,

“Hey, do you know where Peter is?” Flash scratched the back of his head,

“Don’t know, his aunt called my mom, and I told her that he’ll come here. I guess Mrs. Parker was worried or something.”

“Wait, May doesn’t know where he is? What’s going on with him lately?”

“What do you mean?”

“Late to classes, tired all the time, stressed out, something’s going on!” Flash sighed, and looked out into the city,

“Gwen, do you-” Flash then leaned forward, and his eyes widened, “OH SH-” Crashing into the party, glass flying everywhere, was the Vulture.

* * *

“Hey man! Watch it!” The taxi driver said, leaning out of his window. Suddenly, a tight grip around his throat as he was pulled out the window, where a slender man held him up, tilting his head. The fear fell into the driver’s face as the faceless man flickered into the taxi driver,

“I’ll be taking your car.” A cold voice echoed into the man’s ears, as the imposter snapped his neck, and drove at breakneck speed towards Manhattan.

* * *

“WHERE IS HE!?!?” The Vulture screamed, shooting at the roof, soaring above the scared teenagers, “WHERE THE HELL IS OSBORN!?!? GET HIM OUT NOW!!!!” The office door slowly creaked open, and Norman strode out of his office,

“Adrian Toomes. What displeasure to see you again.”

“Shut the hell up!" The Vulture yelled, pointed a gun at Norman, and slowly chuckled, “The cops are at Staten Island. Your shapeshifting assassin is curled up in a corner. Freaking Spider-Man is currently bleeding out in a water tower! No one can save you now, you yuppie!” The teenagers were hiding behind tables and around the corners of the walls, holding their breaths. Norman cleared his throat, and spoke aloud,

“Adrian, you want me to speak the truth?”

“Yes, and maybe I’ll spare your sorry life, Norman,” Norman knew it was a lie,

“Fine,” Norman then looked over at his son, and smiled, “It is true that there was an embezzlement scandal at Oscorp, and from my intel, I thought it was you,” The Vulture sneered at him, but Norman continued, “Do I regret my decision to fire you and hand you off the to cops? Yes, but only due to your actions.”

“My actions!?” The Vulture said, “You ruined my life!”

“I am not the one here who is threatening the safety of children. I am not the one here who has killed multiple people. I am not the one here who put on a flight harness to rob stores and armored trucks! You’re your own worst enemy!”

“You’re lying! You’re the monster here!”

“I only told the truth,” The Vulture then grabbed Norman, and flew towards the window,

“NO!!!” Harry yelled, jumping at the Vulture, squeezing the neck of the old man with his elbow grasp. A short, crunching blow to the ribs and Harry fell to the floor,

“Too bad, kiddo,” The Vulture said, “If only you mattered anything to your father in the first place.” Harry looked on with despair, air barely going to his lungs, as his father was dangled over the edge, “Well, feeling lucky, Norman?” A moment passed as time slowed to a crawl… 

WHACK!!! The Vulture was punched square in the jaw as Norman was pulled away from his grasp with a simple _thwip_. Crouching next to the guests, holding a bloody web on his side, was the Amazing Spider-man!!!

“So… Who’s the birthday boy?” Spider-Man said, clearly exhausted,

“How? How the hell are you here!?” Adrian said, aiming his gun at Norman, only for a web to quickly cover the barrel,

“I’ll tell you one thing… Traffic is a nightmare!” Adrian groaned, and pulled the trigger. The barrel of the gun exploded, as Adrian screamed in pain, “Yeah, the force from the explosion had to go somewhere! And here I thought you were an engineer!” Spider-Man stood up, and webbed up Adrian’s arms, “Everybody, get out! Run!!” Everyone at the party ran toward the stairs and elevator, leaving the two to duke it out.

* * *

Spider-Man then launched at the Vulture, and they flew out of the penthouse. The Vulture rolled through the air, slashing his wings at where Spider-Man was, doing anything to shake him off. Spider-Man dodged each attack, and kept sticking to the Vulture’s back as they flew around the penthouse,

“Adrian! I’m giving one last chance!” Spider-Man yelled, getting closer to the middle of the wings, where the humming was coming from,

“There’s nothing you can do! I’ll kill you, then Osborn!”

“Then I’m sorry to do this!” Spider-Man then launched his fist into the flight harness and pulled out the power source. The two started to descend toward the ground as they kept spinning around the building,

“You fool, what have you done!?! We’ll both die!” Adrian said, screaming for his life. Spider-Man simply spun a web and pulled with any strength left in his left arm.

They crashed into the penthouse, with Adrian’s wings breaking his fall, and Spider-Man’s bones breaking his fall. Thankfully, a bed of glass helped break Spider-Man’s fall, sharply embedding into him,

“Ow, everything hurts, ow,” Spider-Man slowly picked himself up, and approached Adrian, “You okay?”

“Why do you care?” Adrian said, defeated, “I almost killed you on multiple occasions, and you still worry about me. Why?” Adrian looked up, with tears on his face. Spider-Man was silent for a while, then he said words that’ll forever stick with him for the rest of his life,

“Someone once told me that with Great Power comes Great Responsibility. And though I’m still getting a handle on it, I think I can understand it.” Adrian chuckled, and leaned against the wall, with the bitter taste of defeat lingering in his mind.

* * *

The elevator dinged, and Captain Stacy lead the charge into the penthouse. He made sure his daughter was alright and gathered his men up to where the Vulture was. He pointed his gun down the hallway, expecting a murderer to fly at them. Instead, an old man tied in a silver web was leaning against the wall, defeat painted on his face, as Spider-Man was taking cover behind a wall,

“Are you gonna shoot me again?” Spider-Man said, “Cause I just did your job for you!”

“Don’t worry, while I’m around, none of my boys will fire, right?” George looked around at the veterans and rookies of the police, all of them nodded,

“Right, well I’m making sure Adrian here doesn’t try to run off, and that I’m very exhausted,” Spider-Man then crawled off the wall, and limp toward the police,

“You seem to hurt, son. You should go to the hospital.”

“I’m fine, I heal fast,” Spider-Man then snapped his attention at the cop closest to Adrian, and stepped closer to him, “Hey, what’s your name?”

“Oh, uh… Frenz!” Spider-Man looked up and down at the cop, whose eyes darted around the room,

“Really? Where’s your badge?” Frenz looked down, and chuckled,

“Oh, uh, forgot it at home with the wife!”

“Wait,” Said another officer, “You’re not married, Frenz.”

“You’re right, Carter,” George said, “So where’s your badge?” Frenz looked around the room, and looked at Spider-Man with a face devoid of emotion, and grabbed Adrian. Frenz pulled out his gun as the officers pulled out their’s, as Frenz started to flicker,

“You just had to spot me out, _паук_?” Said the Chameleon, pointing his gun at the young hero, “All you had to do was to look the other way!”

“I’ll never look the other way ever again,” Spider-Man said, slowly taking steps closer towards the Chameleon, “Now, just let him go Chameleon; You already lost!”

“Perhaps, in the short term,” Chameleon said, looking around the encroaching police officers, “Though… I like the play the long game.” Chameleon then turned Adrian to face him, BLAM BLAM!!! And shot him in the lower chest twice,

“NO!!!” Spider-Man shouted, launching at the Chameleon. THWACK! THUD! The shapeshifter was launched toward the wall and fell to the floor. Before the assassin could flee and turn invisible, he was webbed up to the wall, “WHY!?!”

“I told you already, Spider-Man,” The Chameleon said, in a Russian voice that seems natural to the imposter, “He was already a dead man walking.”

“Let him go, son,” George said, pointing a gun at the Chameleon, “My boys and I will take care of this. You take Toomes to a hospital!” Spider-Man let out a frustrated sigh, sprinted towards Adrian, webbed up his wounds, and swung off from the penthouse.

After a moment, DING! The elevator opened up, and Frenz ran over to George, along with two agents in black, “George!”

“Don’t worry Frenz, Spider-Man took care of the Chameleon and Toomes. Now, who are you two?” The woman showed a badge to George,

“Agent Sharon Carter. My partner, Agent Phil Coulson, and I are here to collect Dmitri Smerdyakov.”

“That man is dead!” Said the webbed up imposter,

“Yes, officially died in a gulag in the Soviet Union. What they don’t tell you is that they scooped out your organs and put them in a suit!” George looked closer at the badge,

“Who are you, and what does that stand for?”

“Think of us as the FBI and CIA for any superhuman activities. And it stands for Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division.” Agent Coulson leaned in,

“Just call us SHIELD.”

“Right, well Toomes is at a hospital somewhere around this penthouse, and you have your man right there. Have fun trying to get him out of there.” George then got into the elevator and descended towards where his daughter was.

* * *

Norman walked into his office, trying to find peace from the reporters, and took a seat in his chair. He breathed in the air, and was finally able to relax; It was over,

“Taking a chill pill?” Said a voice from a dark corner of his office. Norman’s eyes snapped toward the voice, and found the one thorn in his side,

“Ah, Spider-Man. I see you found a way into my office?”

“Yeah, I would say to not have sliding windows from this height, but I guess you can do whatever you want to do, right?” Spider-Man dropped towards the ground, gracefully landing on his feet. Covered in cuts and blood, the young hero approached the powerful businessman,

“What do you want? Name your price.”

“I don’t want your money.”

“Everyone wants my money! My influence! My power!” Norman roared out, standing up and walking toward the window, “Fisk, Lincoln, Silvermane, they all want my power!”

“Is that what this is all about? Power?” Spider-Man approached the same window, “You are the most idiotic thing I have ever heard!”

“How dare-”

“No, how dare you!” Spider-Man lifted Norman by his collar two feet in the air, “I’ll tell you this now Mr. Osborn, your little pursuit of power? It’s over. Done. Finished. If it isn’t, I’ll tell everyone how horrible you are, and what you did.”

“With what evidence?” Norman said, smirking at the hero’s frustration. He was lowered slowly, as Spider-Man opened the window,

“It ends, or I’ll end it for you.” And Spider-Man leaped off into the night, leaving Norman alone to weigh the words on his mind. For that little thorn in his side had just turned into a dagger.

* * *

Peter looked out from the top of the Empire State Building, holding his arms out like Leonardo DiCaprio. He then stood up, and looked at his to-do list on his phone:

Have fun with summer vacation. Peter knew that the end of his sophomore year was intense, so maybe things will turn out okay?

Get groceries for May (See Grocery list): After the night with the Vulture, Peter made sure his phone always had enough charge: He now makes sure to not give May a panic attack!

Visit Harry, and hang out: Peter has a friend! He’s grateful that Gwen and Harry became his friends, though he’s always nervous around Norman, wondering what he’s planning to do next.

Just be friends with Gwen: Peter sighed and knew that this was the right thing to do. They’re just friends, just friends. She’s dating a quarterback, and he’s just mild-mannered Peter Parker. Who just so happens to be the Amazing Spider-Man. Then, he gets a call on his phone,

“Hello?”

“Hey, Pete!” Gwen’s voice came through, and Peter smiled behind his mask,

“Sup?” Peter said, swirling around the antenna,

“I was wondering if you would join me to dinner? Flash is busy with a fan club meeting, and I had reservations!”

“Sure!” Peter said, feeling happiness escape through his voice, “Do you mind if we swung by the grocery store after?”

“Nope!” Peter felt happy, but then saw red and blue lights chasing after a car down below, sirens echoing through the area,

“I’m gonna be busy for a bit, but I’ll be there!

“Okay, see you soon!” Peter put his phone away, swearing he heard the same level of glee escape her voice, but it could be just his imagination. He then leaped off the building, and swung towards the action, feeling like summer could be fun after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, that ends the first chapter of the Amazing Fantasy! Thank you all for the positive support, it was amazing to read all the comments! And as they say: Excelsior!!!


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